Ezekiel 33:2
in Ezekiel 33“Son of man, speak to your people and tell them: ‘Suppose I bring the sword against a land, and the people of that land choose a man from among them, appointing him as their watchman,
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from among them, and set him for their watchman;
KJV
Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman:
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This verse in Ezekiel 33
Commentary
13 notes on this verseA commentator
Gregory of NazianzusIN DEFENSE OF HIS FLIGHT TO PONTUS, ORATION 2:64 · Written before 390.
How are we affected by Ezekiel, the beholder and expositor of the mighty mysteries and visions? By his injunction to the watchmen not to keep silence concerning vice and the sword impending over it, a course that would profit neither themselves nor the sinners, but rather to keep watch and forewarn and thus benefit at any rate those who gave warning, if not both those who spoke and those who heard.
This site's exposition
the word of the LORD came to me
on Ezekiel 33:1-6
If the watchman blows the horn, the hearer who ignores it answers for himself, since “his blood will be on his own head”. If the watchman keeps silent, the Lord says, “I will hold the watchman accountable for his blood”. Gill notes the balance of the wording.
This site's exposition
appointing him as their watchman
Ancient cities posted a watchman on the wall or a tower to watch the roads, as 2 Samuel 18:24-27 and 2 Kings 9:17 show. The people chose him from among themselves. His office was to see danger early and report it.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers4 voices
Mine is the burden that you just heard about when the prophet Ezekiel was read. It is not enough that the day itself admonishes us to reflect on the burden; in addition such a lesson was read to excite great fear in us, so we …
These words teach that it is God who gives peace to people because of goodness and allows wars to happen because of the wickedness of people who bring disaster on themselves.
Do you see how dangerous it is to keep silent? He dies, and rightly dies; he dies in his own wickedness and sin; his own heedlessness kills him. Yes, the one who says "I live, says the Lord," would like to find a living shepherd. But since he has been heedless, not being warned by the one who was given charge and made a watchman for this very purpose of warning him, he will die justly, and the other will be justly condemned.… It is our business not to keep quiet; it is your business, even if we do keep quiet, to listen to the words of the shepherd from the holy Scriptures.
(Chapter XXXIII, Verse 1 and following) And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, speak to the children of your people and say to them: When I bring a sword upon a land and the people of the land take one man from among them and make him their watchman, and he sees the sword coming upon the land and blows the trumpet and warns the people, then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, if the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be upon his own head.
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
The substance of this we had before, ch. iii. He must let them know upon what terms they stand with God, that they are upon their trial, upon their good behaviour, that if a wicked man repent he shall not perish, but that if a righteous man apostatize he shall perish,
5 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
Son of man, speak to the children of thy people,....
Thus wise are the children of this world in their generation. Note, One man may be of public service to a whole country. Princes and statesmen are the watchmen of a kingdom; they are continually to employ themselves, and, if occasion be, as watchmen, to expose themselves for the public safety.
He shall fall and lie for ever under the wrath of God, which is the death of the soul, as his favour is its life. The righteous God has said it, and will never unsay it, nor can all the world gainsay it, that the wages of sin is death. Sin, when it is finished, brings froth death.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
Son of man - if the people of the land take a man - The first ten verses of this chapter are the same with Eze 3:17-22; and to what is said there on this most important and awful subject I must refer the reader. Here the People choose the watchman; there, the Lord appoints him. When God chooses, the people should approve.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
2Ki 9:17) are detailed first, and then the application is made to the spiritual watchman's duty (compare Isa 21:6-10; "A man of their coasts" is a man specially chosen for the office out of their whole number.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
And the word of nevuah from before Hashem was with me, saying:
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 4 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
23 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| בֶּן־ | ben- | O son of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| אָדָ֗ם | ʾadam | humankind | H120 → | 551 times |
| דַּבֵּ֤ר | daber | speak | H1696 → | 1141 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| בְּנֵֽי־ | benei- | [the] children of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| עַמְּךָ֙ | ʾamekha | people your | H5971 → | 1873 times |
| וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ | veamarta | and you will say | H559 → | 5305 times |
| אֲלֵיהֶ֔ם | ʾaleihem | to them | H413 → | 5510 times |
| אֶ֕רֶץ | ʾeretz | a land | H776 → | 2504 times |
| כִּֽי־ | ki- | that | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| אָבִ֥יא | ʾavi' | I will bring | H935 → | 2568 times |
| עָלֶ֖יהָ | ʾaleiha | on it | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| חָ֑רֶב | charev | a sword | H2719 → | 413 times |
| וְלָקְח֨וּ | velakechu | and they will choose | H3947 → | 966 times |
| עַם־ | ʾam- | [the] people of | H5971 → | 1873 times |
| הָאָ֜רֶץ | haaretz | the land | H776 → | 2504 times |
| אִ֤ישׁ | ʾish | a man | H376 → | 1663 times |
| אֶחָד֙ | ʾechad | one | H259 → | 971 times |
| מִקְצֵיהֶ֔ם | miktzeihem | from ends their | H7097 → | 97 times |
| וְנָתְנ֥וּ | venatenu | and they will make | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| אֹת֛וֹ | ʾoto | <obj.> him | H853 → | 10935 times |
| לָהֶ֖ם | lahem | for <the> them | ||
| לְצֹפֶֽה׃ | letzopeh | into a watchman | H6822 → | 36 times |
בֶּן־O son of
ben-H1121 →4930 times
אָדָ֗םhumankind
ʾadamH120 →551 times
דַּבֵּ֤רspeak
daberH1696 →1141 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
בְּנֵֽי־[the] children of
benei-H1121 →4930 times
עַמְּךָ֙people your
ʾamekhaH5971 →1873 times
וְאָמַרְתָּ֣and you will say
veamartaH559 →5305 times
אֲלֵיהֶ֔םto them
ʾaleihemH413 →5510 times
אֶ֕רֶץa land
ʾeretzH776 →2504 times
כִּֽי־that
ki-H3588 →4482 times
אָבִ֥יאI will bring
ʾavi'H935 →2568 times
עָלֶ֖יהָon it
ʾaleihaH5921 →5755 times
חָ֑רֶבa sword
charevH2719 →413 times
וְלָקְח֨וּand they will choose
velakechuH3947 →966 times
עַם־[the] people of
ʾam-H5971 →1873 times
הָאָ֜רֶץthe land
haaretzH776 →2504 times
אִ֤ישׁa man
ʾishH376 →1663 times
אֶחָד֙one
ʾechadH259 →971 times
מִקְצֵיהֶ֔םfrom ends their
miktzeihemH7097 →97 times
וְנָתְנ֥וּand they will make
venatenuH5414 →2011 times
אֹת֛וֹ<obj.> him
ʾotoH853 →10935 times
לָהֶ֖םfor <the> them
lahem
לְצֹפֶֽה׃into a watchman
letzopehH6822 →36 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Isaiah 62:6On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have posted watchmen; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the LORD shall take no rest for yourselves,
it leads to
- Isaiah 52:8
Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices, together they shout for joy. For every eye will see when the LORD returns to Zion.
- Ezekiel 3:17–21
“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from My mouth, give them a warning from Me.
- Psalms 134:1–2
Come, bless the LORD, all you servants of the LORD who serve by night in the house of the LORD!
- 1 Thessalonians 5:17
Pray without ceasing.
- Jeremiah 6:17
I appointed watchmen over you and said, ‘Listen for the sound of the ram’s horn.’ But they answered, ‘We will not listen!’
- Isaiah 52:8
Through
Ezekiel 14:17Or if I bring a sword against that land and say, ‘Let a sword pass through it,’ so that I cut off from it both man and beast,
it leads to
- Leviticus 26:25
And I will bring a sword against you to execute the vengeance of the covenant. Though you withdraw into your cities, I will send a plague among you, and you will be delivered into…
- Ezekiel 21:3–4
and tell her that this is what the LORD says: ‘I am against you, and I will draw My sword from its sheath and cut off from you both the righteous and the wicked.
- Leviticus 26:25
Through
Ezekiel 3:11Go to your people, the exiles; speak to them and tell them, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says,’ whether they listen or refuse to listen.”
it leads to
- Ezekiel 2:7
But speak My words to them, whether they listen or refuse to listen, for they are rebellious.
- Ezekiel 2:7
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Ezekiel
This page draws on 10 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Augustine of Hippo, SERMON 46:20; Caesarius of Arles, SERMON 231:2; Gregory of Nazianzus, IN DEFENSE OF HIS FLIGHT TO PONTUS, ORATION 2:64; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Ezekiel; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Theodoret of Cyrus, COMMENTARY ON EZEKIEL 13:33.